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TY Thursday: Send the Ideal Thank-You Today!

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The absolute all-time favorite post on this blog is called “The Ideal Thank-You Letter Went Out Today.” It’s one of my favorites, too, because it will help your nonprofit get donations this year AND in the future. Here it is–and please read to the bottom for the 2017 updates.

I have seen the ideal appeal letter.  I haven’t yet seen the ideal thank-you letter.  But it went out today.  Did you send it?

Thanks in many languages

Write the ideal thank-you letter

If you wrote the ideal thank-you letter, you:

  • Called me by name.
  • Confirmed how much I gave you.
  • Told me how my gift would make a difference.
  • Illustrated my impact with a story.  (Not the one you told me to persuade me to give.  Another story.  You have more than one, right?)
  • Included a photo or image to make my impact real.
  • Told me about how else I can help: by volunteering, or liking you on Facebook, or spreading the word to my friends.
  • Signed it by hand, and wrote something just for me.

Most important: it’s the ideal thank-you letter because it went out today. 

The sooner you acknowledge my gift, the more likely I am to remember it, and give again. Within 24 hours of your receiving my check is ideal.  Within a week is acceptable.  But no matter how long it’s been, don’t put it off any longer.  Send that letter today.

Thank-You 2017 Updates!

Nothing beats a really good thank-you letter, but you can thank your donors in many other ways, too. Here are the most popular articles from my Thank-You Thursday series.

  1. 20 Ways to Thank Your Donors Throughout the Year
  2. TY Thursday: Steal from the Best
  3. TY Thursday: Your Checklist for the Ideal Thank-You Letter
  4. Thank-You Thursday: Pick Up the Phone
  5. TY Thursday: Your Donor Told Me You Should Hear This

One more thing. I really love Ann Green’s idea that you should go beyond thank-you ideas and have a thank-you plan. How are you going to thank your donors in January? In March? In June? How will you put video into the mix? When will you reach out and help the donor who’s going through a rough patch?

That would be a good resolution for 2018: Plan to express your gratitude to the donors with at least as much care as you plan to ask for money. And you can start with the ideal thank-you letter.

TY Thursday: Thanks to You, Nonprofits, Especially Today

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My regular readers (whom I appreciate!) will know that on Thursdays, I’ve been giving advice to nonprofits on how to say thanks and express their “attitude of gratitude” to their donors.

Thank-yous can go far beyond a letter. They can include videos, gifts, and even acts of kindness that make the donor feel you are truly grateful and truly friends. You can see all those TY Thursday posts by clicking on the link.

Today, I’d like to turn it around. Instead of advising you on how to thank your donors, I want to send you my thanks.

I’m Grateful to You, Nonprofits

Thank you to the nonprofits that help my neighbors meet basic human needs.

Thank you to the nonprofits that help people worldwide appreciate art and literature.

Thank you to the nonprofits that give free legal advice to people in a jam.

Thank you to the nonprofits that work to change policy so people won’t need legal advice so often.

Thank you to the grassroots groups that are mainly friends and neighbors with a 501(c)(3).

Thank you to the huge corporations with big budgets and complex organizational structures who don’t forget that they’re there on a mission.

Thank you to the nonprofit organizations (called synagogues) that gave me my Jewish education, a place to worship in community, and a way to continue the 4,000-year-old tradition that has shaped my life.

Thank you to the nonprofit organizations (called universities) that changed the way I think and taught me life lessons, inside and outside the classroom.

And to the people of nonprofits

To the people who spend their days working hard for these agencies, way beyond what nonprofits can ever afford to pay them to do, thanks!

To the people who spend their evenings and weekends volunteering for these agencies, whether they lick envelopes, serve meals, or serve on the Board, thanks!

To the receptionists, the face of each organization…

the frontline staff, who see the faces of the people they serve…

the interns passing through, who may remember their time there life long…

the Executive Directors, carrying too much weight on their own shoulders…

and especially, to the fundraisers and communicators who make sure that donors hear about the great difference the work of your organization makes (as I did), and become grateful (as I have), so they continue to support you with their creativity, time, and money…THANK YOU.

It’s your job to thank the donors, and I will keep on sending you tips on how to do it well. But once in a while, you deserve some appreciation too. And you’re welcome.

TY Thursday: “Are You Skipping Thanksgiving?”

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Skip ThanksgivingIf you work at a nonprofit, next week is not just Thanksgiving. It’s the start of a mad scramble toward the end of the year.

The numbers don’t lie: almost a third of the donations the average nonprofit receives will arrive in December. So yes, it’s vital to get your end-of-year fundraising right. And you can find out how to write the ideal appeal letter elsewhere on this blog!

But don’t skip thanksgiving. Not just the holiday. The act of giving thanks…to your donors.

How to Give Thanks (and Get Donations)

Kristina Leroux

Kristina Leroux

Kristina Leroux has written such good advice about giving thanks that I want to quote her at length.

Unfortunately, while Target can get away with Christmas displays and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing in October, your nonprofit cannot afford to skip the act of Thanksgiving.

Whether you get a gift in November or March, it always needs to be Thanksgiving at your organization.

Here are a few tips about thanking your donors:

Read Kristina’s full blog post: Are You Skipping Thanksgiving Too?

Let’s start by thanking Kristina for sharing these tips with us–and the best way to thank her is by putting them into practice, today!

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